50 Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid: Tips and Exercises to Save You Thousands of Dollars and Years of Misery

by Pete Cliff, P.C. Darkcliff

Avoid the costly ordeal of learning from your mistakes. Learn from mine in a few days and fifty razor-sharp lessons.

After years in the self-publishing trenches, and with ten books under my belt, I’ve become a multi-award-winning, internationally-selling author. I’ve made most of the mistakes described in this book, though, and paid dearly for them. Now I will share my hard-learned lessons.

I will take you through all the steps of self-publishing, from planning your novel to launching and promoting it. You’ll learn
Write ten times faster and produce a riveting book with endearing characters.Find your voice and audienceCreate a devoted fanbase - and get them to do the marketing for youPlan the launch of a book that is perfectly packaged inside and outGather crucial info on Amazon and Facebook advertising - and uncover false “gurus”.Avoid bad reviews that can damage your early career.
With my help, you will master all that and much more. Together, we will make your book a success.

If you are starting your self-publishing journey and want to save years of time, heaps of money, and buckets of aspirins. This is the perfect book for you.

124 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 25, 2024

About the author

Also publishes under P.C. Darkcliff

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after reading a review of it in a Facebook group by the owner of said group. I'll start by saying this book is definitely for the beginner who is seeking to self-publish.

My rating: 3.5/5 stars (rounded up to 4)

I'm not currently self-published, but I've been working towards that for a long time and am hoping to get there sometime this year. So I thought I would check out some books to give me more information on steps and processes others have used to succeed at getting their books out into the world. I've done a lot of my own research, followed many groups on FB, and done reading on the topic, so while I haven't published yet, I would say I'm not 100% new to it.

This book is a great place to start if you're new and don't know where to begin. The author gives you a lot of info on resources to check out, and he tells you where he went wrong when he was starting out to give you all the examples of What Not To Do. He's a fiction writer, so this is pertinent if you're writing in fiction, and specifically in fantasy, as that's what his books are.

I'd say that I knew of about 75-80% of his tips already just from my own research, but I did glean some good resources to check out for things like setting Amazon categories and tags. I think the book could be served by adding a glossary of the resources, books, and websites he lists at the end for people to have at a glance as it might help readers decide what they want to look into.

The only thing I didn't like was the repeated use of the word "guru." I have no idea why this bugged me the way it did, but it felt like that word popped up every other page in some chapters. I think because the word itself looks so distinct it kept jarring my eyes, if that makes sense.

Other than that, I'd say that a good chunk of this book boiled down to: research your market. And in the end, that's probably the most important piece of advice an author can take to heart before trying to put their book baby out in the world.

Would I recommend? If you're new to self-publishing and writing a book and don't know where to start, check this book out. If you've already done a decent chunk of research on your own, you might find some new resources here, but you could also find information elsewhere.

It's a short read, though, so if you're curious, pick it up and you'll probably get through reading it in a day, like I did.

[Steve Shipley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had had this book as a resource when I started my career and an indie writer and publishers. The learning curve is steep and I know that I made at least fifteen of these mistakes myself. At least!

Cliff is a seasoned writing pro and has self-published many novels. And he admits to having made these mistakes himself. We are fortunate that he took the time to put together this collection for us to learn how to avoid them!

The book is well structured and categorized by topic throughout the writing and publishing cycle::

1. Preparation
2. The First Draft
3. Revisions
4. Pre-Launch
5. Launch
6. Post-Launch
7. Sequels

What I love most about this book is that it is useful for both beginning authors starting out, and more seasoned writers looking for a refresher and focused on a specific topic. And each mistake takes only a few minutes to digest and understand. Cliff then provides for each an exercise to help you avoid making it!

First reading this book, and then keeping it handy as an ongoing reference is a must for authors, saving you a lot of wasted time and money when trying to navigate the self-publishing path.

Like I said before, “I wish that I had this book as a resource when I started out, but even now that I am about to publish my 4th and 5th books, it has helped me immensely.

[Rick Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw a recommendation for this book from one of the publishing gurus I follow, and I do love a good book about the indie writing business. I’m an experienced self publisher, with 9 books under my belt, so I can’t say that much in here surprised me, but I’ll say that if you’re trying to learn about the business, looking for a place to get an idea of common mistakes and pitfalls, and also get some plain good advice on things to do, this is a great book. It’s to the point. I’m sure there’ll be some quibbling from folks, because, yes, in this space, there are a lot of opinions. Most important — the number one mistake writers make is not understanding their goals, and if their goals include actually selling books, than they need to treat their writing as a business. Doesn’t mean you need to make every decision based on profit, but you’d better understand the impact. Reading this book will help you get there, and you may not follow every recommendation, but you should ponder each one with some care.

[Jenni Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 51st mistake would be not buying this book! It is full of resources for indie writing and publishing, and answers every question one might have about the process. The subtitle: Tips and Exercises to Save You Thousands of Dollars and Years of Misery says it all.
As a fan of P.C. Darkcliff’s fantasy books, I can testify that he knows his stuff and lives by his words. 50 Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid honestly shares his successes and failures. This book is a straightforward, easy read, yet a vital reference for any indie writer. For me, it answered questions I didn’t even know to ask. Pete mentioned in the book that he is an English teacher, and it shows, with exercises at the end of each chapter, which summarize the information and give easy steps to follow.
This is the ultimate resource for anyone considering self-publishing.

[Tim Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really nice place to start if you're thinking about self-publishing, or are looking to improve your process. The author writes fiction primarily, so a lot of the advice is focused on novels and genre fiction, but there's a lot of information here that's universal. There are good tips on other resources to consult, as well as exercises to get you started down the right path. With indie/self-publishing, it often feels like you're out there on your own, and this book is a good distillation of knowledge gained by experience from another self-publisher. Quick read. Good info. Well worth the time.

[Elaine Marie Carnegie-Padgett Author · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the answer to your self-publishing problems! In fifty short lessons the Author explains the “how’s” and most especially the “why’s” of marketing your work and creating an author platform, and why it is so important to do so.
It is an indispensable instruction for Indie Authors trying to self-publish. From point A to Z with an easily understood program that I wish I had access to when I began.
I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking of self-publishing or even if you are going the traditional route but need help creating an author platform. All the answers are right here.

[P.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where was this book when I decided to become a professional writer. It not only describes the pitfalls of self-publishing, but thoroughly explains publishing in general. I like that it goes heavy on the necessity for editing, as well as tips for promotion and marketing if the author chooses to go it alone.

Even though I have been traditionally published, this book is a "godsend" for those contemplating self-publication of their work. The author openly admits he is not an expert at anything, other than being one who had made these mistakes himself along the way, and freely gives tips for where the potential author/publisher can find more information. I heartily recommend this book.

[Peter Astle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read. Both enterraining and informative.
I knew very little about the world of self-publishing before I read this book, let alone the mistakes to avoid. By focussing on the mistakes he made and offering solutions, Pete Cliff guides you through maze of self-publishing.
All fifty chapetrs cover a specific mistake - who knew there could be so many? - and what to do to avoid doing them.
Each chapter also has specific excercises to complete, so this is a practical teaching guide as well as a guidance manual.
I highly recommend this book to anyone considering self-publishing.

[Darielle Pettem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I had read this book sooner, as I made many of the same mistakes myself. Even with over a year’s experience under my belt, I still found so much valuable information here. I highly recommend this book to authors and anyone helping authors with marketing.

[parker beaudoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read for Any Write at any Point

Easy to read an follow and has good tips and ideas to try out and do.
it can be read over and over and still gain more each time it is read.
Great 👍